1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to antiviral compounds and methods of using thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
Negative strand RNA viruses (Baltimore classification system) include viruses belonging to the Bornaviridae, Filoviridae, Paramyxoviridae, Rhabdoviridae, Arenaviridae, Bunyaviridae, and Orthomyxoviridae families as well as other unassigned genera. Negative sense RNA viruses include some of the most pathogenic viruses known to human kind, such as the Ebola viruses, Marburg virus, Rift Valley Fever virus, Lassa virus, and Influenzavirus A.
The Ebola viruses, and the genetically-related Marburg virus, are filoviruses associated with outbreaks of highly lethal hemorrhagic fever in humans and primates in North America, Europe, and Africa. The Rift Valley Fever virus, which can cause hemorrhagic fever, killed about 400 people in Kenya in 1998 and thousands in Egypt in 1977 to 1978. The Lassa virus also causes hemorrhagic fever and causes about 5,000 deaths per year. Various strains of Influenzavirus A are known to case various flu epidemics which have killed thousands of people and the subtype H5N1 is considered as a potential pandemic threat.
Infections by viruses which cause viral hemorrhagic fever usually exhibit initial flu-like symptoms such as fever, vomiting, diarrhea and malaise. Consequently, before a deadly epidemic is suspected and the causative agent is identified, the initial patient(s) are misdiagnosed.